Broadcast Battle

I swear there are more peaceful, productive negotiations within the walls of government, than the negotiations in this house, the last few days...All this sweet, calm, determined mother wanted was for her daughters to attend the General Women's Broadcast and RS dinner,WITH her....

Two and a half hours out of their lives, isn't too much too ask...having birthed them and managed to keep them alive the last almost two decades, and all.

I was unaware that such a request is considered torture to female rug rats, still in my home...and did not anticipate the battle which was to ensue.

....why, do we have too??? you can't make us!!! you can't make us like it!!! we should have the choice!!! I think this is lame!!! you don't get it Mom??!!!

It was a ridiculous dialogue for days.

I stood my ground.
They all showed up.
And yet no one WON!

The future missionary dropped the attitude as soon as she got in the building, kind of...

The other showed up late, made cheeky comments while she ate and then promptly slept through the entire broadcast...

The other barely looked up from her cell phone....

No one won, we were all just MAD.


 I have the grounds to argue endlessly on the respect of parents, doing as you are told, and that this is my house and while you live here you do what I say....

But sometimes being RIGHT, doesn't accomplish a single thing.

Why do we have too???

Relief Society is a wonderful thing, I want my girls to know and feel that. I want my girls to develop their own testimony of that. I can't do that by force feeding them the gospel. It is something that each one figures out there own way.

You can't make us!!!!

No, technically I can't...I can encourage and persuade...but I should not have used guilt and anger.

You can't make us like it!!!

Nope! I sure can't. It took me some time to find my place in Relief Society. I didn't start liking it until I felt the love and care others had for me and I actually NEEDED the support of Relief Society. You will get there, eventually, I promise.

We should have the choice!

Yes you should always have the choice....I have raised all of you with the gospel as a foundation, because I know it to be true and have a deep love for it. But that love and testimony is not something I can hand to you. Each of you will have to come to on your own. I have to have faith in that foundation and faith to let you make that choice on you own....Your choices will never dictate or diminish the love I have for you. It simply should have been your choice.

This is LAME!/You don't get it MOM!

There were beautiful things said in the broadcast, I hope their hearts heard something...I do get it...
I came home last night and thought long and hard and the one thing that came to my mind...Robin, you were just like them at that age. REMEMBER?!?! You figured it out eventually and so will they...but contention will never win any battle.

I hope I figure this parenting thing out soon...'cause it is really kicking my butt!

Photo Flashback

These are photos, years before Kelli and I were born...

My parents had more than eleven years, before we came along.

 

I'm guessing they were taken in the mid to late 1960's.

 

And from all appearances, my  parents rocked the 60's.

 

Both were teachers and they spent every break, traveling...

 

 Grand Canyon....

 Downtown Salt Lake City...

 

 

 

 

 

....That was my Mom's '64 burgundy Mustang.(that license plate hangs on the wall in my Kitchen)

 

And this is my Dad's '62 VW Bug (he drove it for 28 years) the hub cap also hangs on the wall in my kitchen....

Hoover Dam???....



 

 

 

 

Lake Tahoe....

 

I so wish I knew more about these times, when my parents were footloose and fancy-free. They sure did live their California dream. :)

Picture Home Again.

It's been more than 10 years since I've had a photo, of my mom, displayed in my home...All the ones I had had reminded me of the illness and some very difficult memories, so I put them all away long ago...

Yesterday I took on the task of reorganizing my china cabinet, after getting rid of a bunch dust collecting trinkets, I got to a box, in the very bottom drawer...inside was a small gold frame missing its picture. I never remember having acquired this frame, but I remembered the frame, the picture that had been inside and that it had sat on my Grandmother's night stand when I was a little girl...

I didn't have the picture and wondered if Kelli had a copy...of course she did and emailed it to me in minutes, yay! 

This morning I picked up the photo, fixed up the frame and put its proper picture, back where it belonged.

Lynne Elaine, Age 4, standing on the porch of the family home in Lethbridge.

Our Mom.

A photo of Mom is back in my home now, one that makes me smile.

A happy time in Mom's life, something I needed to remember.

Glad to have the picture home again. :)

Chalk It up!

Paint the coffee table with chalkboard paint, they said....It will foster their creativity they said....

What I had in mind when I painted the coffee table....

What Madison and Dallyn did to the newly painted coffee table...

SIGH....and I can't even blame it on Auto-correct...you could at least spell ovaries right???

And Alex's contribution...??? 

Don't paint your coffee table!

Escaped!!!

When I realized we had an appointment in Nanaimo Friday and that Superman had to attend the Nanaimo Ward Conference and Stake Priesthood Meeting on Sunday...it would be a fabulous opportunity to ESCAPE for the weekend...

(sure I love my kids, but liking them ALL of spring break, really???)

 

I was met with Superman's very lack-lustre FINE!

 

Good enough for me, haggled by spring break, I jumped and made reservations...

 

Friday we threw everything in the van, gave the kids the don't-kill-each-other-or-burn-the-house-down speech and ran away took off...

 

They were just as happy to wave good bye, as were we...

 

FREE!!!!

 

Checked in...Met the least friendly receptionist in the history of hospitality, the fact that she LOVED her job, oozed from every pore, seriously it was comical and both Grant and I walked up to our room laughing....

 

Counselling...

Dinner...

Shopping...

In bed early...

 

Superman rolls over some where near midnight...

 

"Did you grab the bathroom bag???"

 

"No!"

 

"Did you??"

 

"No!"

 

Awesome....

 

(thankfully I had thrown meds in our main bag)

 

In the morning it was my job to go down and see if the hotel had any toiletries to buy...

 

Miss Happy Pants again (great)..."No" but she goes into an office, and brings me a baggie of toiletries, just for idiot travellers like myself :)

 

 .

 

 

Superman was thrilled about using Lady Speedstick...so we dropped $50 at target to fix our faux pas, anyway.

I didn't dare use the waffle machine...so Fruit(loops) and Hot Chocolate, for breakfast, it was. :)

 

 

 We saw most of Divergent...

{if you have to go potty, like six times, during the show, maybe sitting in the middle is the wrong choice of seating for you, just saying...cause, just like everybody... I LOVE having my popcorn and pop spilt on me, repeatedly :)}

 

Went to Moxie's.... 

So like where did MOXIE'S go???

Anyways we ended up at where Moixie's used to be...

 

Frankie's...

 

Which was surprisingly GOOD, really GOOD!!

 

Turkey Club on forcaccia bread...to die for.

I picked up these snazzy shoes...I. LOVE. them.

 

 

Grant calls them my "shoes of many colours", even better. :)

 

And yes I wore them proudly to Church.

This was the sunrise over Long lake this morning....

 



 

A Happy Sunday...

Visiting the different Wards in the Stake is such a neat experience (even though I'm a shameless tag-a-log)...

Our Stake Pres. shared his love for the hymn "I Need the Every Hour" and how much our Heavenly Father really wants to help us...It was a wonderful feeling as I remembered all the help and tender mercies we experience... and I felt LOVED.

I had my bucket filled today and my testimony was strengthened. :)

Both Superman and I did.

It was a wonderful escape.

And no the kids didn't kill each other or burn the house down...yay.

{...they didn't clean the house, like at all
and I'm still not positive the fish survived...and at least one child, totally broke the rules...}

But WHATEVER...we ESCAPED!!!! and it was lovely!





Superman Sleeps

Superman and I escaped for the weekend, the kids were just as happy to wave goodbye, as we were...

Grant's been asleep beside me for hours, peacefully in dreamland.

 I've surfed Pinterest, pinning recipes I'll probably never use, wandered down to the free continental breakfast, decided using the waffle machine without supervision was not in my best interest, read my magazines through twice.....all in an effort to just let Superman sleep. 

Even a year or two ago, this need for sleep would have driven me bonkers but now I am just grateful for it and its restorative power.

A passing comment a few days ago, has caused me to stop and reflect a lot on the blessings of loving a husband who has Bipolar disorder...yes I said blessings. Go with me here....

Sure our lives are different than we pictured, but they are far from awful or tragic.

Grant isn't able to go to work right now, the blessing in that is it has allowed our lives to slow down. We have been given the gift of time. Time to rest, time to reflect time to recover...

We seriously don't sweat the small stuff...things that before would cause great worry or stress, don't even phase me now.

In the midst of the struggle we have come to understand the depth of our strength and courage as a couple, a family and individuals.

It has completely changed how we think of others...

Our children know difficulty and miracles and forgiveness and the Atonement first hand.

Peace, calm and progress have a deeper gratitude.

I have especially come to appreciate and understand the power of prayer and my need for my Heavenly Father's guidence.

It has fortified friendships.

It allows us to see the capacity for kindness in our dear friends.

It has opened doors and allowed us to help others.

We laugh at things no one else finds funny.

So as Superman sleeps, I am grateful for many things, but especially for him.

Now back to Pinterest....I'm sure there is some "joy of motherhood" post I can gleefully mock.

Crazy Clean!!!

There is something about spring break that makes me want everything clean and organized...

The rug rats hate my neuroses and sneak around the house like a bunch of burglers to avoid me at all costs...

Since Monday with or without them I have...

Tackeled the sock basket, matched all and the tossed the rest...

Painted the coffee table in the living room...

Raked the yard...

Detailed the van...

Put all the papers ON the filling cabinent IN the filling cabinent...

Moved all the spices to a new cupboard...

Cleaned out the shed...

Organized the storage room...

Found Dallyn's wreched jacket from camp two weeks ago, washed it ten times, got the smell out...

Cleaned under my bed...

Purged all the unworn coats and jackets...

Cleaned off my sewing table....

Organized my closet and sent four bags to Sally Anne, put all of Grant's work clothes in storage (seeing them fill the closet was a tough reminder that he is on LTD for now)

Found my discount card, the tv remote from three years ago and all of Bailey's necessary mission papers.


Productive, yes. Crazy, maybe. Do the kids like spring break, no.

What shall we accomplish next week????

She's Ready.

 

 

This afternoon, with one last trip to Target, we finished acquiring everything for Bailey's mission....

She flies to the Missionary Training Center, (Provo, Utah) 7 weeks from today.

 

Stuff just got real.

 

I never really thought about sending kids on missions... It wasn't something I ever wanted to do...

I never imagined my girls turning 21 any way..

But then we were at General Conference when the age requirement change was announced 19 for Sisters and 18 for Elders ...

and  Bailey wanted to go...not because we wanted her to, but because she really wanted to be a missionary.

 

This evening we emptied the two totes of clothing, shoes, books and personal effects, we have acquired over the last 3 months and managed to stuff them into two suitcases and a carry on and not go over the weight limit...Yay us!!!!

 

 

Bailey turns to me, as she packed and with a smirk says...

 

"This is the kind that goes in my MOUTH, right????"

 

 

 

Right, Bailey, Right!!!!

I guess she will survive in the mission field.

 

 

We really are proud of her and her choice to be a missionary.

 

We love you, Bailey!

 



Struck Again.

So Grant and I are trying to have a quick dinner in Nanaimo before his meetings....

Madison sends a text...took a cleat to the face...I'll send you a pic...

And you still want to play rugby?!?!

See I never played sports, my mom worried that their competitive nature would ruin my precious psyche...(but the 5 o clock evening news in LA was just fine?)

So I simply don't understand this kids rugby mentality....she gets hurt every week...but still thinks rugby is AWESOME!

I fell once ice skating, just weeks after moving to Canada 25 years ago, it hurt bad. So I have never ice skated again. 

Oh Maddie I'm so glad your one tough cookie :) but maybe we should find you a helmet?

Tampons and Terrible Days

Madison pick me up tampons when you pick up Bailey, kay? I say to a dining room full of teenagers surfing Pinterest doing homework, last night.

"Oh. My. Gosh! That sure explains a lot of today!" Madison says, throwing her arms up in the air

"This week is gonna SUCK!" Dallyn mutters, hanging his head.

Man I just love my beautiful offspring!


Yesterday did suck... the emotional culmination of months, weeks and days of heartache, caved in.

Worry about a struggling child...

Another's careless words online cause unneeded hurt, sadness and frustration...

The mail box full of bills....

The Brick called to say the brand new leather couch, that nameless child spilt nail polish remover on, that the sales man, in the store the day before said WAS covered under warranty...in fact WAS NOT covered...Sorry about that...

TAXES...I owed big in both countries, we knew that and were prepared for that...But I was blindsided by the avalanche of emotions that hit as I stood signing papers...If my parents had only handled their affairs in life, Kelli and I could have been saved from sorting out their financial and legal nightmare after...I left the office sobbing and ugly cried the hour home...Anger, guilt...but mostly just grief.


I give up. I can't do this on my own. I'm so tired! (Daylight Savings Time, I hate you)


A call from my sister...who never tells me I'm crazy.

A unexpected text, from a friend, telling me they were just thinking of us.

And a visit from one of my Visiting Teachers who also never tells me I'm crazy.

Okay maybe I won't give up, at least not today.



Madison brought home tampons and cake (she ain't stupid).
 I went to bed early and today I had the courage to keep on going...
So Dallyn maybe this week isn't gonna SUCK.

Mad-dog Made It!

Our Maddie turned EIGHTEEN today! 

Every family needs a Maddie....

She's always been that crazy, funny, wild firecracker that I am usually telling to knock it off, while laughing hysterically at her antics...easy to love and hard to parent :)

Happy Birthday to our loveable, wanna be bison rancher, who will rule the world someday!

We love you, Mad-dog!

To Be Honest

Sometimes, we are so focused on being RIGHT, that we forget to be KIND....

"Honesty is the best policy, but honesty that's motivated by shame, anger, fear or hurt is not "honesty". It's shame, anger, fear or hurt disguised as honesty. Just because something is accurate or factual doesn't mean it can be used in a destructive manner."

-Brene Brown, I thought It Was Just Me

 

 



The Difference Sundays Make

This was Sunday two weeks ago...

And this my friends was Sunday today....

So often it's easy to feel buried, like we were on that Sunday two weeks ago. Overwhelmed by all our cares and worries, it can be impossible to remember the Spring, waiting to come up under all that snow....

For weeks we have focused only on problems, it's hard not to, but for a few days I have decided looking for tender mercies just felt better...

A smile

A kiss

A moment of calm

A walk on the beach as a family...warm sunshine and salt air and a reminder that it won't always be winter.

Some Sundays make all the difference.

Play Like a Girl

She came home bragging...

"Mom ya shoulda seen it, it was gushing!!!"

Maddie, our rugby player, took one for the team...a bloody nose worthy of a horror flick...the picture looks worse than it was.

She's one tough cookie and was back in the game within minutes.

Way to play like a girl, Maddie!

Freeway Phobia

I think of myself as a sane and level headed person...no really most of the time I'm laid back and easy going....

 

Unless...

 

You put me on a freeway.

 

And then instantly I turn into the CRAZIEST passenger in the world... 

 

Tears, jumping and gasping...

It's ridiculous and I know it

{You would never know I grew up on the freeways of Orange County.}

 

Superman and I decided to make a quick overnight trip to the (LDS) Temple in Vancouver...

 

 

It was just supposed to be drizzling here and in Vancouver...but it decided to SNOW from just south of Courtenay to just north of Nanaimo and then SNOW again on the upper-levels highway in Vancouver...AWESOME...put me on a freeway in snowy-rain and I am even CRAZIER...

 

Our trip through Vancouver caused more tears and drama than an episode of the Maury Show...

 

Not my finest moment...sigh.

 

 

 

Grant got us safely to our hotel with no incidents (just the made up catastrophes in my head)

 

And we had a lovely late evening at the temple...really we did.

 

****

 

Today I was determined to not repeat the meltdown of the previous afternoon...

 

We made it safely to Horseshoe Bay with no tears...yay me.

{ It wasn't raining or snowing mind you, and Superman kept his promise to not tailgate}

 

 

 

I still HATE freeways and traffic and that is why I will always live on the north Island where there is neither :)

 

On the ferry I ordered the Pirate Pack and Grant thought I was ridiculous :)

 

"Do you know what that looks like, Robin???"

 

"Embarrassing!"

 

{shoulder shrug}

 

But it gives you the same burger and fries and drink as the $12 adult combo plus you get this cool pirate ship and a pudding cup and chocolate coin for...

 

$7

 

That's not ridiculous darling, that is economic genius...

 

 

Grant also left me unsupervised in the gift shop for 5 minutes...

 

And I spent $45 on socks, 3 pairs...all for me:

I didn't get a pic of the mustache ones...

But aren't they awesome....

 

I know!!!! Totally worth $45 ;)

 

{Superman can't say a word...one time he bought a $45 wallet on the ferry and a book we already owned...at the same time}

 

I love me ssocks and consider them my reward for not freaking out on the freeway today....

 

Freeway phobia...just add that to the list of diagnoses  :) 

Fed Up Family Prayer

The rug rats couldn't take anything seriously if the President was in the building....(but neither could their mother, but it's only funny when I do it...)

So it may have been a few months weeks since we have enforced had family prayer....But I am determined to be a good mother so...

The last week we have had family prayer more than we haven't....Yay Us!

It's like herding cats, getting all six of us in the same room and off electronics long enough to say a simple prayer.

They had been rather respectful to start the week....

No Rhyming...
No saying waffle or naked...
No prayers in Whale...

Wow maybe they've all matured some...awesome.

Last night it was Man child's turn....

He rattles off a prayer faster than an Olympian racing for gold...

"Amen...Oh My Gosh! I said that all with one breath!" Dallyn says gasping for breath

Dallyn!?!? Grant and I launch into the reverence and respect lecture.

Say it again! This time with thought and purpose!!!

Dallyn suddenly realises we are serious....

And starts again...we ignore the several references to our harsh parenting....Amen.

"I give that a 3 out of 10, Dallyn! Nice Alex, real nice.

So the list just gets longer...

NO: Rhyming...saying waffle, naked...saying it in whale....one breath....or rating it.

And y'all wonder why I'm a little fed up with the rug rats...

Read It!

There are many nights Superman falls asleep long before I do...So I usually spend a few hours reading on my Kindle app...It takes 30 seconds to down load a book and since I pay the credit card bill every month, nobody notices my book addiction expenses :)

 

Last week I downloaded "The Continuous Atonement" by Brad Wilcox. I remember him from my EFY(Especially for Youth) days 25 years ago....

 

What an AWESOME book and a wonderful perspective on the Atonement and the love our Heavenly Father has for us...

 

 

 

 

{What is the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

The Atonement is the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to help us overcome sin, adversity, and death. Jesus’s atoning sacrifice took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary. He paid the price for our sins, took upon Himself death, and was resurrected. The Atonement is the supreme expression of the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ}

A favourite part....

 

"The sacrament prayers have to be given word-perfect. Everyone knows that. But when the priest flubs it, what happens? Even though the expectation of perfection cannot be lowered, the person giving the prayer gets a second chance, and a third, and a fourth, if he needs them. No matter how many mistakes he makes along the way, when he does finally get it right, the outcome is counted as perfect and acceptable."

"God, like the bishop, cannot lower the standard that we ultimately become perfect,"....."but He can give us many opportunities to start again. . . . Perfection is our long-term goal, but for now our goal is progress in that direction - continues progress that is possible only through the continuous Atonement"

 

-Brad Wilcox

 

Just start again...Progress in the right direction...that I can do :)